Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

At Stai, your privacy is of utmost importance to us. This privacy policy outlines how we collect, use, share, and protect your personal information. By using our app, you consent to the practices described in this policy.

2. Data Collection

We collect a variety of information to provide and improve our services. This includes:

• Personal Information: When you create an account, we collect your name, email address, phone number, gender, sexual orientation, date of birth, and location.
• Profile Information: We may collect additional information when you create a profile, such as photos, videos, bio, preferences, interests, relationship status, and other personal details you choose to share.
• Sensitive Data: We may collect data related to race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, and health-related information if you choose to provide it. Such sensitive information will be protected in accordance with GDPR and applicable U.S. laws.
• Usage Information: We monitor your interactions with the app, such as messages, likes, profile views, and other actions.
• Automatically Collected Data: We may automatically collect information about your activity in the app, including log data, cookies, and analytics tools. For more details on our cookie usage, please refer to our Cookie Policy.
• Q&A Data: We use questionnaires and surveys (Q&As) to gather additional information about your preferences, interests, and personality traits. This data helps us to find and suggest compatible matches tailored to your specific criteria.

3. Information You Give Us

You may choose to provide additional information when using our services, including:

• Profile Enhancements: Add or hide your picture and age easily through your profile settings.
• Multimedia Content: Upload photos or videos, granting us access to your camera or photo album as needed.
• Surveys and Support: Provide feedback or interact with customer service, which may be recorded for quality purposes.
• Communication Requests: If you request us to communicate with or handle information about others (e.g., sending an email on your behalf), we may collect information about those individuals to fulfill your request.
• Conversations and Uploads: We handle your interactions with other users and the information you upload as part of the service's operation.
• Q&A Participation: Engage in questionnaires and surveys to help us understand your preferences and improve match suggestions.

4. Information We Receive from Others

In addition to the information you supply us directly, we obtain information about you from third parties, such as:

• Social Networking Sites: You may be able to create and log into your Stai account using your social network login (e.g., Facebook Login). This allows you to share information from your social network account with us without having to input your login name and password.
• Other People: As other users use our services, they may provide details about you. For example, if other users contact us about you, we may gather information about you from them.
• Partners and Affiliates: We receive data from partners assisting in anti-fraud and safety measures.

5. Other Information with Your Consent

With your permission, we may collect:

• Geolocation Data: Through GPS, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi connections, depending on the service and device you're using. If enabled, we may collect your geolocation in the background even when you're not using the services. We will not collect your geolocation if you refuse to give us permission.
• Multimedia Access: Images and videos for publishing or streaming if you grant us access.

6. How We Use Your Data

We use the data we collect for the following purposes:

• To Provide and Improve Our Services: We use your data to operate, maintain, and improve the functionality of the app.
• To Personalize User Experience: We analyze your data to offer personalized matches, recommendations, and targeted content based on your preferences.
• To Enhance Security: We use data to verify accounts, detect and prevent fraud, and enhance the safety and security of our users.
• To Communicate with You: We use your contact information to send notifications, updates, and marketing messages (with your consent).
• To Comply with Legal Obligations: We may process your personal information to comply with applicable laws and regulations, including data requests from law enforcement.

7. Third-Party Sharing

We may share your data in the following ways:

• With Other Users: Information from your profile, including photos, bio, and preferences, will be shared with other users in the app based on your privacy settings.
• With Third-Party Service Providers: We work with trusted third-party vendors who help us operate and improve the app. These may include cloud service providers, analytics services, and payment processors. All third parties comply with strict confidentiality and security standards.
• With Law Enforcement: We may share information with law enforcement or government agencies if required to comply with legal obligations, to protect our rights or the safety of users.
• In Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of the business transaction.

8. Security Measures

We employ appropriate security measures to protect your personal data from unauthorized access, disclosure, or loss. This includes encryption, access controls, and secure storage practices. However, no data transmission over the internet or storage system can be 100% secure.

9. Your Rights

If you are located in Austria or within the EU, you have the following rights under the GDPR:

• Access: You have the right to request access to the personal data we hold about you.
• Correction: You may request that we correct any inaccurate information about you.
• Deletion: You have the right to request that we delete your personal data, subject to legal and contractual obligations.
• Restriction: You may request that we limit the processing of your data.
• Data Portability: You have the right to receive your personal data in a commonly used and machine-readable format.
• Objection: You may object to the processing of your data under certain conditions.
• Withdraw Consent: You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. Withdrawal of consent does not affect the legality of data processing prior to withdrawal.

10. Your Rights (US Citizens)

If you are a resident of California, you have the following rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA):

• Right to Know: You have the right to request information about the personal data we collect, use, and share.
• Right to Delete: You have the right to request the deletion of your personal data, subject to certain exceptions.
• Right to Opt-Out: You have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal data.
• Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of your CCPA rights.
• Right to Correct: You have the right to request that inaccurate personal information about you be corrected.
• Right to Limit Use: You have the right to limit the use and disclosure of your sensitive personal information.
• Right to Data Portability: You have the right to receive a copy of your personal information in a format that can be transmitted to another business or platform.
• Right to Access Automated Decision-Making: You have the right to request information about automated decision-making processes, such as AI tools, and their likely outcomes.
• Right to Opt-Out of Automated Decision-Making: You have the right to opt-out of the use of automated decision-making technology for your personal data.

11. Automated Decision-Making and Profiling

We utilize automated decision-making and profiling to enhance your experience by providing personalized matches and content. These processes analyze your data to predict preferences and behaviors, ensuring a tailored and secure user experience. You have the right to access information about these automated decision-making processes and to opt-out if you choose.

12. Account Deletion

If you choose to delete your account, we will permanently remove your personal data from our systems, except where required by law. To delete your account, please follow the instructions in the app settings or contact our support team. Upon deletion, certain data may be retained for security and legal purposes as outlined below.

13. How Long We Retain Your Data

We keep your personal data only as long as necessary for legitimate business reasons and as permitted by applicable law. If you decide to stop using our service, you can close your account, and your profile will no longer be visible to other members. Note that we will close your account automatically if you are inactive for two years.

Following account closure, we delete your data as follows:

1. Safety Retention Window: To protect the safety and security of our members, we implement a safety retention window of three months following account closure or one year following an account ban. During this period, we keep your data to investigate unlawful or harmful conduct based on our legitimate interests and those of potential third-party victims.
2. Legal Data Retention Obligations: We maintain limited data to comply with legal obligations:
   • Transaction Data: Kept for 5 years to comply with tax and accounting requirements.
   • Credit Card Information: Retained for the duration the user may challenge the transaction.
   • Traffic Data/Logs: Kept for one year to comply with legal data retention obligations.
   • Records of Consent: Stored for five years to comply with and evidence our compliance with applicable laws.

Additionally, where legally permitted, we may maintain and use non-identifiable data for purposes such as improving our service, creating new features, and ensuring the safety of our services.

14. Children's Privacy

Our service is restricted to individuals who are 18 years of age or older. We do not permit individuals under the age of 18 on our platform. If you suspect that a member is under the age of 18, please use the reporting mechanism available in the app.

15. Privacy Policy Changes

This policy may change over time. We are always looking for new and innovative ways to help you build meaningful connections and strive to ensure our data practices remain up-to-date. We will notify you before significant changes take effect so that you have time to review the updates.

16. Contact Information

If you have any questions or concerns about our privacy policy, please contact us at office@stai.social or visit our help center for more information.